Harbingers Of House Black
by Gembleton108
Summary: Harold Potter. One boy, destined to make a great many changes within the world. Wizarding Britain has known a modicum of peace for some time, but it cannot last. It is up to three children to right the wrongs of a thousand thousand lives. Harold, Ginevra and Daphne. All three have a part to play. All three shall herald a new World of Black. All three are Harbingers Of House Black.
1. Prologue: The Twins-Who-Lived

**Author Note: Greetings, readers. It's been quite a while since I last posted... anything on this site. "The Lord Slytherin" appears to have fallen into a deep coma within my mind, and has no intention of leaving it. As such, I shall be writing this in its stead. Before going any further, I would like to apologise to anyone who likes the Harry/Ginny pairing, as this story not only rejects that, but completely ruins it for any other stories. You have been warned.**

 **The same messages I gave at the start of The Lord Slytherin still apply (Don't bother flaming; this story is mine to write and mess up, not yours; etc.). I hope you will enjoy it, I know that I do (at time of writing) and will attempt to keep it alive for a little longer that TLS.**

 **This story starts by only changing one thing, and writing what could have been but wasn't mentioned in the actual story (giving a total of three starting differences from canon).**

 **1\. Sirius doesn't chase Pettigrew in 1981, keeping Harry instead of giving him to Hagrid. (Change)**

 **2\. Lily Potter was a descendent of the Slytherin family, with the Evans family being a squib line. (Clichéd, yet an unmentioned /** _ **very**_ **vague possibility in canon)**

 **3\. Harry... well, you'll see in the last paragraph of this chapter. (Unmentioned possibility)**

 **Everything else are results of these. So, without further ado, let us begin. (Apologies for the overused title of this chapter, but it fits.)**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, or anything else mentioned in this story (other than the few things which I may create myself). This applies to the remainder of the fanfiction as well. (I shan't bother to write it anew every chapter).**_

* * *

 **Prologue: The Twins Who Lived**

Sirius Black was terrified. He'd just gone to visit his close friend Peter Pettigrew, only to find his front door open and nobody inside. They had all known that the Death Eaters were after them, hence their use of the Fidelius Charm on the Potter residence in Godric's Hollow. With Peter dead or tortured into giving away the secret, however, the charm would no longer work. Fearing for his friends' lives, Sirius rushed to Godric's Hollow.

Upon arrival, he was filled with dread. The roof of the Potters' home had caved in on one side, and the front wall of the house had a gaping hole where the door once stood. Inside, lying motionless on the ground, was his lifelong friend and brother in all but blood (and name), James Potter. Eyes welling up with tears, he entered the building and ascended the stairs, hoping that the remainder of the Potter family had somehow managed to evade the Dark Lord's onslaught.

His next sight dashed those hopes.

Lily Potter, dead, slouching against a wall. He could no longer hold it in. Sirius cried. Sirius screamed. Sirius begged that it was all just a bad dream, but it wasn't. He was prepared to just curl up and lie on the floor, when he heard something. Movement, coming from the crib behind Lily. Daring to hope that they were alive, Sirius Black moved toward the edge of the room, slowly making his way to what may or may not have been his godchildren.

He peered into the crib.

He gasped.

They were alive! Lily's backup plan had worked! He rushed toward them, engulfing them in a hug and whispering consoling words, feeling immense regret for his ideas whenever either child asked for their mother or father, but not allowing himself to slip into depression. No, they needed him, and he would be there for them. James and Lily had trusted him enough to make him their godfather, and he would not fail them again.

Picking them up, he rushed out of the house, only to be stopped by Hagrid, who had come to take his godchildren away on Dumbledore's orders. Hah. As though he were ever going to allow that to happen. Carefully climbing onto his bizarre, flying motorcycle, Sirius left Godric's Hollow with the remains of his family, hurrying to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, a property of his old one.

Unlocking the door and stepping inside, he spoke. "Your parents may no longer be with us, but I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you two. Welcome to your new home, Harold and Ginevra Potter."

* * *

 **Well, I did say that it would completely ruin one's idea of a Harry / Ginny pairing. I can't speak for you lot, but for myself, making two characters into siblings then makes everything else morally impossible, even in other stories (even if said "other story" is canon). I know that this chapter was short, but I think that it made for a rather good prologue. I'll probably start writing the next chapter as soon as I finish writing this, but I don't know if I'll post them at the same time... Oh well.**


	2. Chapter 1: A Family, Newly United

**Author Note: Apologies for the time between the prologue being put up and this; I wanted to ensure that I had a few further chapters ready to upload in case I suddenly couldn't write for a while (plus, I've recently had my exam weeks - yes, plural) and a gap between Prologue and main story is better than a huge gap in the story. Oh, and if you can think of any other good excuses which I can use to disguise procrastination, I would love to hear them.**

 **By the way, sorry for the massive time skip between the last chapter and this one, but reading about a four-year-old Ginny doing... whatever sort of things a Sirius-raised Twin-Who-Lived would have done, probably wouldn't have been very excit- oh, who am I kidding? We would have loved to read something like that. Anyway, it didn't happen. Sorry. (I might add it later on in the form of flashbacks, though. Or I might just add more chapters before this one. Who knows? One thing is certain: I don't.)**

 **Finally, if this story appears a little as though I'm simply throwing sci- _story components_ at a wall and seeing what sticks, it's because I am. I'm in the process of writing an actual novel (though mostly re-writing chapter 1), and am using this to gain a little extra experience. So, singing praises about my greatness will be very well received! As would constructive criticism, I suppose... Praises sound better, though.**

 **Oh, and - like last time - I hate Neville Longbottom, as well as Ron and Molly Weasley.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: A Family, Newly United**

It had been around seven years since the murder of James and Lily Potter. Sirius had taken the children and fled, barricading himself inside his London house. He only left for his trial, and even then demanded that his godchildren be given to Remus Lupin and kept in the courtroom with him. He was cleared of any doubt, and immediately left England to live on one of the Black islands in Northern Europe. As the years went by, the Potter children eventually asked what troubles had befallen their parents, which was a particularly emotional day. That aside, however, not much had happened. Except for their eighth birthday - .

 **31st July, 1988**

It was a warm, happy day in July. The Potters and their godfather were enjoying their time outdoors, having just come from their party. Sirius was lying on the grass, exhausted from the earlier events of the day. The young twins were off playing. All was well, until a Gringotts owl swooped down to give Sirius a message, waking him from his state of semi-awareness.

"Wha- what's going on?" He very eloquently asked the bird, who shook its leg and the letter attached to it. "Ah, a letter. Thank you."

The owl flew away, leaving Sirius alone to read the missive. What he saw shocked him.

 _Mr. Sirius Black,_

 _As Account Manager for House Black, it is my duty to inform you that a marriage contract between the Houses of Black and Greengrass - dating from the late 19th century - has been activated, and congratulate your godson on his betrothal. The contract (a copy of which has been enclosed alongside this letter) pertains to Master Harold Potter-Black and Miss Daphne Greengrass. If you wish to speak with anyone regarding the contract, you are welcome at Gringotts Bank._

 _May all your endeavours prove bountiful._

 _Manager Darkfang_

 _Gringotts Account Manager for House Black_

Rereading it several times, and glancing over the contract itself, Sirius knew that his godson was doomed. The Greengrasses were an incredibly dark family, known to have almost rivalled the Blacks when in their prime. They would take Harry and throw him to the Death Eaters. No. He couldn't allow it.

Caught up in his thoughts as he was, Sirius did not notice the boy in question and his sister sneak up behind him, carrying with them a bucket of water from the stream nearby. Nor did he notice them slightly tilting their buckets over his head. He did, however, notice the ice-cold water of the Scottish Highlands run down his body, instantly dropping his temperature and causing him to both jump in alarm and scream like a young child.

"What the- Harry! Ginny! Get back here right now!"

The two children giggled and ran, being chased by their godfather who had the sense to cast drying and warming charms on himself.

* * *

After finally being caught and subsequently playing for a while in the somewhat tall grass, Harry noticed Sirius grow sombre.

Sighing in resignation, his godfather began. "Harry, I have something I need to tell you."

Slightly worried at his tone, Harry responded. "What is it?"

"You know how I've always told you to stay away from the Slytherins of our world?"

Harry nodded, recalling the many times Sirius had told him so. He loved his guardian. He really did. But he was just as bigoted as he claimed the rest of his relatives (barring Andromeda) were; he simply discriminated against the other side. Harry and Ginny both knew about Sirius's less than friendly encounters with Slytherins, but they knew that anyone could be that cruel. Peter Pettigrew was the perfect example; a man from Gryffindor house, who later went on to join the Dark Lord. If that wasn't backstabbing enough, he then caused the murder of James and Lily Potter - two of his closest friends. They both understood that Sirius was merely trying to protect them, but hating a quarter of Britain's magical population simply based on their ambitious or cunning nature at the age of eleven years did not strike them as a good idea.

"Yes," he replied, guardedly. Though talking about Slytherins always seemed to darken his mood, he looked particularly grim now, and that worried Harry and his sister.

"Well, I happen to have some very bad news for you."

Great. They both knew that Sirius was terrible at disguising things from them, but the fact that he thought this too urgent to even try terrified him further. Surely it couldn't be that bad?

Sirius continued. "I just got a letter from Gringotts regarding the state of the Black family. In it, I was told that-" here Sirius began breaking down, taking a minute to compose himself. "I was told that an ancient marriage contract has just been activated between yourself and the Greengrass family."

"Oh." Harry was shocked; Sirius's reaction made him believe it would be far worse than that. He and Ginny knew the Greengrasses, and were quite close to both sisters, not that Sirius knew, of course. If he had, he probably would have grounded them until they had to leave for Hogwarts. No, Andromeda had taken them a few times to see other families she knew who didn't shun her (which, surprisingly, also included her sane sister, Narcissa Malfoy), and the Greengrasses were by far their favourite. Though he wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life attached to either - a thought far too mature for anyone of his physical age - he was always closer to Daphne. At first, he thought it was their ages, though he later found out that they too were twins; Astoria simply looked younger. He had one theory, though, and it was related to an odd dream he had when-

"Harry? Please, say something."

Startled, Harry realised that he had stopped paying attention and was lost in thought, though to Sirius it probably looked worse. Why was he thinking such thoughts, anyway? He was only eight-years-old.

"Harry, I know that it's bad, but I can get you out of it. I'll send you to Andy, then I'll go to the Ministry and-"

"Wait. Sirius, surely it can't be that terrible? I mean, they couldn't want to give up one of their children either, and it was an ancient contract. Maybe we should just speak to them, and get their opinions?" Harry was desperate to stop Sirius before he did something stupid like attack his friends. As brilliant as he was, Sirius still exhibited far too many Gryffindor traits.

"You don't understand. Harry, these are some of the worst Slytherins out there. They-"

"STOP IT!" Ginny had inherited their mother's bad temper, and it had finally gotten out of her control. In all honesty, Harry was surprised that it took so long. "Sirius! You can't just go around insulting everyone because of their House at school! I happen to know that not all Slytherins are evil, and have..." She trailed off, realising that she had just admitted to meeting with Slytherins without their godfather knowing about it.

Suddenly, the fear and sorrow were gone from Sirius's eyes, replaced with fury. "You WHAT? Have you been sneaking off to speak with Death Eaters? I have repeatedly told you to stay away from that sort; they would love to get their hands on you two and take you to Voldemort."

"Sirius, you don't understand," I hastily intervened, knowing that this could end up rather badly. "We were with Andy. She took us to speak with a few of her friends so our lives would be easier in future."

"Were the Greengrasses some of her 'friends?' Hm? Were they? Oh, and don't even think about lying to me, or you'll be grounded until you board the Hogwarts Express." There was the threat Harry was waiting for.

"Well... they... Yes, yes they were. But they are good people! I really like them, and probably wouldn't mind spending more time with either Daphne or Astoria..."

Sirius stared skyward, obviously torn about the decision he now had to make. Finally, he sighed and looked back toward them. "Fine. But don't think for a moment that I trust any one of them, or like what we are going to do. I trust Andromeda, and will ensure that she accompanies us when we meet with them. Understood?"

"Yes, Sirius," the Twins-Who-Lived chorused.

* * *

 **2nd August, 1988**

Two days later, Ginny found herself preparing for their meeting with the Greengrasses regarding Harry's impending marriage, even though they were only eight years of age. Apparently, the old, "High House" families had decided that the age at which a marriage contract could activate was at eight years, and that they could force a marriage at any time after the fourteenth birthday of the younger party. It was sick. Sirius had explained the system of the Seven High Houses; how they once ruled Magical Britain, but were now mostly content to simply hold a couple seats in the Wizengamot and be obscenely rich. Pretty much the only thing unique to the High Houses - known publicly, at least - was the fact that their Heads held the title of "Duke" within the Magical World; though, with the founding of the Ministry of Magic, their total control over areas of land was lost. The only reason behind Sirius not holding the same title was that his mother had revoked his inheritance; instead, Harry would be the next Duke Black when of age.

Returning to the present, Ginny was wondering if everything would work out alright. It wasn't a very well-kept secret that Sirius Black hated most Pureblooded wizards and witches, a fact which - combined with them having left the country and only returning three months prior to now - made many British magicals rather irate. Harry and Ginny were close friends with the Greengrasses, and hoped that Sirius wouldn't mess things up for them. If he did, Ginny would be having some very heated words with him. One thing which surprised both Sirius and Andromeda was how mature the twins could be, and how easily they learned new things.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her room door.

"Ginny? Are you ready?" That was Dora's voice.

"Nearly, Cousin Nymphadora. I'll be down in a minute."

"Stop calling me that! Anyway, you might not want to take too long; Sirius is only just stopping himself from locking every one of the building's exits."

Ginny sighed. She knew that it would be difficult, and that Sirius would cause some problems for them, but she hadn't expected him to take it this badly. Over the past couple days, he had barely spoken ten words to them, and spent most of his time either re-reading the Black family's logs regarding House Greengrass or practicing his offensive and defensive spells. If only we had a way of showing him that not all Slytherins were evil... Suddenly, she had a great idea, though she'd need to speak with Harry first. Too bad we still have three years to go before we can attend Hogwarts.

Pushing her devious thoughts to the side for a moment, Ginny opened her room door and descended the stairs.

* * *

Moving from London to South Gloucestershire finds two eight-year-old girls - by the names of Daphne and Astoria Greengrass - preparing for a meeting with their friends, the Black family. Daphne and Astoria - though twins - looked very different; Daphne had light blonde hair, pale skin and was rather tall for her age, taking after their father. Astoria, on the other hand, had hair as black as night, and was just below the average height, taking after their mother. In fact, the only major similarity shared between them were their bright green eyes, oddly familiar to those who had fought in the war against Voldemort.

The two were sat in the family's meeting chamber alongside their father, where the Greengrass Dukes of old would plan wars against their rivals. While they already knew the Twins-Who-Lived (they still called them that simply because it annoyed them), their parents wanted to make a favourable first impression on Sirius Black - a man known to detest this type of interaction.

"Girls, are you ready?" Their mother, Charlotte Greengrass, was nearly panicking due to the importance of this day in regards to her daughters' futures - one more so than the other.

"Yes mother," they chorused as she was leaving the room. Daphne had spent the past few days pondering the most recent change in her life. She knew that most people were far too young to consider such things at their age, but also knew that herself and Harry needed to. She was certain that life with Harry would be better than one with... well, pretty much anyone else. They knew each other from a fairly young age, and both were in the same situation. In all honesty, the major problem between them at the moment was Harry's godfather, everything else was mostly okay.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of the Floo system activating, and then her mother's footsteps were joined by an extra five pairs. The chamber doors opened, and there they were. In the centre of their group were Harry and Ginny, trying their best not to look nervous, whose eyes lit up upon seeing them again. Behind them were, if she recalled correctly, Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks. Leading their party in an incredibly protective manner was Sirius Black, his expression neutral but his eyes cold and distrusting. Introductions were made, the Black party was invited to sit, and the meeting began. This next hour (or thereabout) would decide their families' futures.


End file.
